The field of the present disclosure relates generally to a clamping and filling tool, and more particularly to a brake fluid clamping and filling tool for a vehicle.
During the manufacturing of vehicles, many fluids must be added to the vehicle before the vehicle can be safely operated. For example, separate fluids must be added to the vehicle engine, transmission, steering system, cooling system, and braking system. These fluids could include engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, antifreeze solution, and brake fluid. In some known systems, such fluids are stored in tanks along an assembly line and channeled through long tubes to a fill tool, which discharges the fluid into a reservoir in the vehicle.
However, advantages of using at least some known fluid fill systems may be limited. For example, at least some known fluid fill systems include sensors in the tubes near the storage tanks that monitor the pressure of the fluid within. However, the fluid may travel a significant distance from the storage tank before being channeled into the vehicle and the pressure of the fluid may decrease significantly over that distance. Also, known fluid fill tools are clamped onto an opening of a vehicle reservoir to prevent leaks and/or spills during the filling process. However, the vehicle reservoir may be made of a material, and/or secured within the vehicle, in a manner advantageous to operation of the vehicle, but not in a manner that facilitates supporting the weight of the fluid fill tool. Accordingly, when at least some known fluid fill tools are subjected to forces in certain directions, the seal between the fluid fill tool and the vehicle reservoir may break and allow leakage of the fluid may occur. Additionally, at least some known fluid fill tools include fluid valves that are permanently fixed in a certain orientation such that ownership of multiple tools with similar functions is required to account for variations in valve orientation.